Musical rut...

[CHRONONAUT]

I've been playing for a little over 2 years and feel like I haven't improved very much since then. This has put me in an uninspired musical rut that I can't get out of. What I think will cure it is a song that will truly make me rethink how I play bass. Please make sure the song actually has tabs

Also any helpful tips are welcome.

[DeluxeRed]

"Bernadette" or any other Jamerson Motown always does it for me! Funky and sweetly melodic at the same time. Essence of tone.

[COOL AND DEADLY]

Ok it's not a song. It's a book. The Music Lesson- Victor L. Wooten. I just read it. It's only a couple hundred pages, but boy is it insightful. Makes you rethink everything.

[Whiteblooded]

I love bass playing because it's different. No offence to electric guitars, but I really don't see the attraction in learning to play them.. purely because all I associate electric guitars with is:
- plectrum playing
- scales being played as fast as possible
(Though having said that, a guitar with a proper tone set up on it sounds amazing. *cough.. old In Flames*)

Basses however, just seem like much more versatile instruments.. You can play with a plectrum, you can play with fingers, you can slap (probably the funnest of the three main right hand techniques) and some bassists have gone further to use flemenco strumming, crazy slapping techniques and four/three finger fingerstyle playing. The versatility of the instrument is what inspires me. (I also would like to point out that acoustic/classical guitar playing seems just as inventitive as a bass to play, and I hope to start learning accoustic guitar in a few years).

Basically.. to cut a long story short, I'm saying that you should enjoy everything that's great about the bass.. which to me, is how you can apply different right hand techniques... I'd recommend learning some slap bass. It's something different. It's hard to get the hang of.. but still fun, none the less. And slap usually sounds a lot better than a nasty plectrum

Good Luck

[the general]

when i get in a rut i ask people to challenge me or they'll challange me with a song(at least something in my ability which i'm sure by many people's scales here on TB is probably low). for instance if a friend(s) and i are listening to the radio, cd, mp3 whatever and theres a song with a good bass line someone will ask 'can you play that?' so i tell them give me a week or so and we'll see. you want to see improvement? practice. practice for like 2 hrs a day if you have time. i try to learn 2-3 songs a week until i think they're good. if you stick with a strict regiment of practice and pick 2 or 3 songs a week i think you'll see improvement. it can't all be about work. i'll also throw a song in thats easy and fun to play. so i'll give you the songs i'm trying to work on now and i challenge YOU, to play them till you think their good.
incubus - are you in
the wonders - that thing you do(what? its an infectious tune)
green day - longview(almost got it)
and the fun song(s)....we'll say CCR - Down on the Corner
R.E.M. - Its the End of the World or Orange Crush